TCOP3 The Prodigal
by Candor
Summary: TCOP3 continues after the end of TCOP2. You should read both the original The Castle Onion, Peeled and TCOP2 for this to make sense. Summary: After the events of the takedown, Beckett and Castle return to the precinct. It's business as usual...or is it? Even more layers of the Castle onion are revealed. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to part 3 of The Castle Onion, Peeled universe! I would suggest reading the first two stories in the series or you may miss out on some references. Once again, I am not the owner of Castle or any other parts of this you recognize. I do own the plot and the characters you don't recognize but I'll share if you're nice. :) These chapters will hopefully come out about the same pace as TCOP2 did, but I will not start posting until I am at least a chapter ahead. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1 The same but different

Kate Beckett had been a detective with the twelfth precinct for many years. She knew the building inside and out; thousands of hours in a place will do that for you. So it was hard to pinpoint exactly why sitting at her desk felt so surreal.

She looked at the family of elephants on her desk that had been her mothers' and the newly added picture of her and her fiance taken over the weekend at the beach. She studied the picture and could finally see what Lanie had been describing as her '_besotted_' look. A neighbor had kindly agreed to take a picture of the two of them standing in front of the house. She was leaning back into Rick and had her arms over his that he had wrapped around her waist. The easy smile on both of their faces captured the feeling that they shared perfectly.

Thinking of the man in her life, she looked over at the newest addition to the bullpen; Rick's desk sat there waiting to be used, but it's owner was currently in the captain's office helping define the new rules. She looked over as the door opened and Rick walked towards the desk. He sat down in the chair and flipped on the PC.

She grinned. "Ready there, partner?"

Rick looked up and nodded. "Yeah. The captain and I have worked out the details. Where are Ryan and Esposito?"

"I have no idea. I don't think..." She shut up as her phone rang. "Beckett." She talked into the phone for a few and made some notes. After she hung up, she looked at Rick. "Ready? We have a body."

Rick nodded. "Want me to call Esposito?"

She shook her head. "I'll call and you text them the address when we are in the car."

He grinned. "You got it, boss."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse and keys. "Let's go. Do you have your vest?" At his nod, they headed for the elevator and out to the crime scene.

TCOP3

They pulled up at the corner of 42nd and Lexington Ave and got out of the Crown Vic. Rick looked around as they made their way to the police tape and under it. Rick nodded to LT as they neared the body. He slipped on gloves as Kate did; he looked at the young man and then at the ME. Perlmudder looked up. "Hello, detective and non-detective. There is a GSW to the chest…twenty-something year old white male. First responder saw a woman kneeling over the body but she took off before he could get to her. He secured the scene and waited for back-up." Rick rolled his eyes at the man.

Kate listened and nodded. "Is there any ID on him?"

Perlmudder shook his head. "Wallet was missing, but he had keys on him. They have been bagged." He handed the bag to her. "I'll know more when I get him back on the table but I would guess it was a small caliber handgun. CSU finished a couple of minutes ago, so I am going to move him."

"Thanks." He nodded and headed off to get the gurney.

Rick looked at Kate. "The blood pool means it happened here. What kind of car key is on the ring?"

Kate looked at it. "Looks like an Audi."

Rick leaned down and looked closely at the victim. He lifted the sport coat and noted the manufacturer. He looked around and noted a parked Audi several cars away. Taking the key from Kate he clicked to lock it and the vehicle beeped. He looked at Kate and smiled.

Esposito and Ryan pulled up and walked over to Rick. He looked at them, smirking. "It's so nice of you to join us."

Esposito rolled his eyes. "What have we got?"

"The victim was a twenty something year old white male; one GSW to the chest…small caliber. No Identification but his Audi is parked right there."

Kate walked up. "Guys, get that Audi to impound and then have CSU look it over. You guys do a quick canvass and Castle and I will head back and get the board set up." They all nodded and headed off to start their assignments.

TCOP3

Kate started on the murder board while Rick typed up his initial observations. He had taken a picture of the victim's license plate and started running it through a DMV search. While it was running he headed into the break room to make coffee. He watched Kate through the window as she stood in front of the murder board, tapping her lip with the marker. He grinned as he watched her; she was unaware that she even did that.

He grabbed their coffee and headed towards her. He handed her coffee to her and went to his desk to check the DMV search. It had completed and he looked at the results. "It looks like our vic is Henri Renard, aged 24. He was an attaché to the Swiss consulate. Home address is off of Central Park West. I'll print a picture for canvassing."

Kate smiled. "Sounds good." She liked that Rick was able to quit hiding his knowledge of procedure. She wondered how much easier it would be for them while they were working to solve cases. When he came back she took the photo from him and put it in the center of the board with the victim's name underneath. Her phone rang and she answered it.

Esposito updated her on the canvass; there was a potential witness but they only had a partial name. Ryan was speaking with a barista at a local coffee shop. Castle had forwarded the DMV photo to them and they were showing it around. "Keep at it. We need to determine what was going on this morning."

After she hung up the phone she sat back on the edge of her desk and stared at the mostly empty board. Rick got up and leaned next to her and nudged her shoulder. She looked over at him and smiled softly. "You get anything from the crime scene?"

He shrugged. "I have a couple of things to think on. One, with a job at the Swiss consulate and the location my first thought is espionage, but that doesn't fit. Two, did you notice his nails? He had a manicure done...and recently. Three, the lack of defensive wounds suggests he knew his killer. I think someone needs to follow up with his employer."

She nodded. "You want to drive?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Why mess with tradition?" She chuckled and grabbed her keys.

TCOP3

Kate couldn't help but smile. As she drove back towards the crime scene, Rick sat in the passenger seat and played with the radio. He looked over at her and grinned. "Good to be back?"

"Yeah. It's nice to be in a familiar setting. How does it feel to be able to quit hiding your skills?"

"Too early to tell. The guys seem to be okay and so does Roy. The uniforms are all okay, but Karpowski is avoiding me."

"Really? I wonder why. She likes you...she told me months ago I should just _kiss you and get it over with_. Maybe I will ask her if I see it."

Five minutes later they arrived at their destination. Kate found a spot and parked; they got out of the car and made their way towards the Consulate. They entered the building and Rick grinned at the primary colors that decorated the outside. They got on the elevator and headed towards the thirtieth floor.

Entering the lobby, they approached the receptionist. Kate pulled her badge and showed it to the woman. "Excuse me, but I need to talk to someone about Henri Renard."

She looked at them and nodded. "One moment, please. I will see if someone is available." She picked up the phone and spoke rapidly in German. Rick looked at Kate and smiled softly. He glanced back at the woman once she hung up; she told them that someone would be with them shortly.

A couple of minutes later a tall blond haired gentleman approached them. "Detective? My name is Klaus Brieg. I am the senior adviser for the consulate's legal team. I understand you are here about Henri?"

Kate nodded. "Henri was found murdered a couple of blocks from here this morning. We are trying to find out who killed him."

Klaus looked sadly at them. "Poor Henri! Come, let's find a room to speak in." He led them to a small conference room off the lobby. "Please, sit. What happened?"

They took seats and Kate looked at her notebook. "Around 8 this morning an officer spotted a woman leaning over Henri just inside an alley. She left the scene in a hurry. He called for backup and checked for a pulse; there was none. Henri had been shot once and his belongings were missing except for his keys. What exactly did he do here?"

Klaus wiped his eyes. "Ah, Henri was working for my office. He was a naturalized US citizen originally from a small village in central Switzerland. His parents ran a small hostel and had saved for him to attend university. He was accepted into the law program at Columbia and moved here with his parents several years ago. He was focused on contract law and worked with others here at the Consulate for Swiss companies looking to open offices here in the US."

Kate made notes while he was talking. Rick looked at Klaus for a moment. "Are you aware of any issues he was having here or at home? Possibly anyone that was angry at him?"

Klaus shook his head. "He was very easy going. No one here or that he had worked with had any issues with him."

Rick nodded. "Did he have a girlfriend? What about his parents?"

Klaus thought for a moment. "Henri was gay and I do not remember him mentioning anyone. His mother passed away about two years ago and his father returned to Switzerland shortly thereafter. He and Henri were not on speaking terms."

Rick paused as he processed the information. He thought about the facts that they had gathered and looked at Kate. She looked at Klaus. "Could we see Henri's office?"

"Of course...follow me." He led them out and back towards the elevators. He entered a hallway just before them and walked to a small office about three doors down. He opened the door and led them inside.

They looked around. The small office was very neat and organized. Rick walked over and sat in the chair and studied the office. Kate was talking to Klaus and making more notes. Rick looked at the small appointment book and opened it up to scan it. He took a plain piece of paper and made some notes before closing the book. He looked through the desk drawers, noting anything he found. Once he was done, he closed everything back up and stood.

"We'll make arrangements for his funeral. Who should we contact to collect him?"

Kate scribbled on the back of one of her business cards. "Have the funeral home contact that number and they can make arrangements once the autopsy is completed. Again, I'm sorry for your loss." She looked over at Rick and he nodded. They followed Klaus out and headed down in the elevator. Since there were others around them they really couldn't talk; Rick smiled at her and mouthed 'precinct' and she nodded.

TCOP3

They walked back into the precinct to find Ryan and Esposito sitting at their desks. Kate walked over to them. "Anything yet guys?"

Ryan nodded. "The manager of the GNC store across the street saw the victim and a young woman arguing as she went to open the store. She said that the two looked pretty upset and the woman shoved the man at one point. Then they got quiet and she went in her store."

"Did she get a good look at the woman?"

Esposito shook his head. "No, but she said the woman had a strange looking backpack that caught her attention. We got a general description on the woman from her and it fit the one that the uniform gave earlier."

Rick looked to Javier. "Did she give you a description of the backpack?"

Ryan consulted his notes. "She said it looked to be a few years old, but it was reddish brown with dirty yellow trim. It had some kind of emblem on it in the middle of the flap with a green background." Rick's eyes widened as he hurried to his desk and logged into his PC. The others walked over and watched as he opened a web browser and brought up a website. He clicked on a link and up popped a picture of a backpack similar to the one Ryan had described.

Rick printed a picture out. "Kevin, can you go back to the witness and see if she can identify this as the backpack?" He nodded and followed Javier out.

Kate looked back at the screen. "How did you know that, Castle?"

Rick looked up to her worriedly. "I used to own one of those. We used them at Sedgewyck."

TCOP3

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews. Hopefully you are enjoying the ride! Once again, I only own that which you do not recognize.**

Chapter 2

Later that evening, Rick and Kate exited the elevator heading to the loft. They stepped inside and found Martha standing in the kitchen talking to Alexis. "Katherine! How are you, darling?"

Kate smiled. "Not too bad. We just have a strange case and it's confusing."

Alexis looked at her and grinned. "Wow! If YOU say it's strange I can only imagine how bad it is."

Kate looked behind her as Rick went into the study. She stepped closer to the others and whispered. "Our suspect may have ties to your dad's Alma mater."

Martha looked up quickly. "Sedgewyck? Why do you think that?"

"It seems someone spotted one of their backpacks in a photo taken at the crime scene."

Rick emerged from the study with his phone to his ear. "Exactly. Look, I need some stills of that location from about 7:30 till 8 this morning. Thanks, Marky Mark." He looked up at the women. "What?"

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Yes, Daughter. I'm fine. Who wants Thai tonight?"

Kate raised an eyebrow. "What were you talking to Mark Willoughby about?"

Rick grinned. "I'm just doing some of my liaison type duties, Detective. He'll grab surveillance and send me stills from them."

Kate shook her head. "Okay...Thai sounds fine to me." Getting an agreement from the others on his choice for dinner, he called and placed their order.

TCOP3

As they prepared for bed, Kate leaned into him and gave him a soft kiss. He smiled. "What was that for?"

"For whatever is bothering you."

"I'm fine, love. It's just odd about that woman's backpack."

"Maybe if we can get a photo we'll have a better idea."

He nodded. "I've been thinking about what Klaus said earlier...about Henri being gay."

"What about it?"

"Did it strike you odd? I mean, I know that the Swiss are a bit more progressive about sexuality than we are, but just the way he presented it seemed off to me."

She thought for a minute. "I hadn't thought about it. I was listening but trying to make sure I captured as much as possible in my notes. Did you find something in his desk?"

"Maybe; he had some notes in his planner. I have them typed up at the precinct; we'll review them tomorrow." He grinned mischievously. "But for tonight..." She smiled and turned off the light as he came toward her.

TCOP3

As they drove in to work the next morning, Kate looked over at her partner. She missed the irreverence he displayed the first couple of years he shadowed her, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud. He had pulled her out of the comfort zone she had created for herself after the death of her mother. Before she had met him, she had wondered about him for many years; even with the notoriety he had garnered on page six, she knew he had a daughter and could not imagine a parent being as wild as he was supposed to be.

She had almost changed her mind during their first case, but she noted that while he was egregious on the surface his eyes did not share that. He had intrigued her and that was why she had not had Roy get rid of him. After a few cases she had enough of a read on him to know that there was much more to him than he showed others. The proverb 'don't judge a book by its cover' was apropos in his case. But even then, she had no idea about the things she had learned about him in the past few months.

To find out recently that not only was he a top profiler for the FBI but that he had more connections than he had ever bragged about with his 'I know a guy' routine showed her that she had been right all along. Richard Castle was worth it. She smiled as she thought about what life would be like for the next few decades with him by her side.

"You're thinking about me."

She snorted. "As if! I was thinking about my coffee, which you have yet to give me this morning."

He pouted. "Katherine Beckett! I never!"

She laughed out loud as they pulled into the precinct garage. "Hush, you. Let's solve this murder and find out what happened." He grinned and gave her a quick hug before putting on his FBI persona and following her into the elevator.

TCOP3

Mark Willoughby had gathered all of the images that Rick had asked for and was running them through facial recognition. He had entered the criteria of female, Caucasian and blonde. The program had been running for thirty minutes when it ended unsuccessfully. He shook his head; he was sure that she would be in the system. He took his hard copy of the photo and his magnifying glass, trying to find some small item that would help to identify...hold on a minute! He looked closely at the photo again and reset the parameters and restarted the search. He turned to take a drink of his water when he heard the beep that it had been successful. "Bloody hell...Ricky is never going to believe this!"

TCOP3

"Lisa? Are you home?"

The blonde looked up from the book she was reading. "I'm in the den!" She put a bookmark in the book and sat it down beside her as an older woman entered the room.

"There you are! Why didn't you answer your phone?"

Lisa grinned and picked up the book she had been reading. "His new book came in so I grabbed a copy. I cannot believe that you used to go to school with him."

Lexie Rogers rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well he and your Aunt Lily were close; I just knew him. I'm not sure he would even remember me." She looked at the cover. "He was known as Ricky back then. So, is it any good?"

Lisa smirked. "I love his characters! Nikki Heat is the best! And this one is better than his last!"

Lexie laughed. "You said that about the last book."

"Well, it's true. All my friends think so too." She sat the book back down. "So, what did you need so bad that you came over and didn't leave a message?"

Lexie looked at her daughter. "Lis, I just got a call. Were you in the city yesterday?"

Lisa nodded. "Yes. I had to meet with the DJ the night before, so I grabbed a hotel room and checked out the venue yesterday morning. Why?"

"Did you go anywhere near Grand Central?"

Lisa shook her head. "I was in the Bronx the night I went and near Central Park yesterday."

Lexie nodded. "Okay. Can you write up where you were and give me some people that can confirm you met with them?"

Lisa looked confused. "Sure, I suppose. Mom, what's going on?"

"Honey, I'm not here as your Mom; I'm here as the Chief of Police. Someone who looks a lot like you was involved in a murder yesterday; they had a Sedgewyck backpack. NYPD has issues an APB for this person. If you can get the info for me, we can get you cleared and move on."

"Sure, Mom. Give me a few minutes and grab yourself something to drink." She grabbed her laptop and started to get her statement completed.

TCOP3

The lone figure stood at the foot of a grave in the small cemetery. Placing flowers down by the headstone, the person stood up and walked away while wiping away tears. Getting in the car and adjusting the mirror, they drove away just as another car pulled up.

The unmarked cruiser rocked gently as its lone passenger got out and headed towards a headstone. Noting the fresh flowers on one of its neighbors, Lexie gave a sad smile. "Hey, Lily...It's me again...thought I would drop by on my way back to the station. Seems someone from school is causing headaches for Ricky. We'll most likely get to see him soon. I wish that you were here with us; you wouldn't believe Lisa...she's just graduated this year and she is waiting to go to college. She was accepted at City University of New York. She's going to major in Business. I'm going to miss her but I plan to ask Ricky to look in on her from time to time.

"I have to get back but I couldn't drive by without stopping in. I hope you are keeping out of trouble up there as I have no way of saving your butt. I love you, Sis." She stood up and dusted off the knees of her pants. She turned to head towards the car when she paused and looked at the flowers. She glanced at the headstone even though she knew that it was Derek Hough's grave. She had never known him like her sister, but she had seen him around school. She walked back to her cruiser and got in. She softly smiled as she pulled away to head back to work as she thought about how lively her sister had been when she had been part of Derek's group.

TCOP3

Rick was sitting at his desk when his phone rang. He glanced at his caller ID and smiled. "Hello, Mark."

"Hi Rick. I have some information for you. Can you open your email?"

"Sure." Rick tapped on a few keys as Kate came around to see what Mark had sent. "It's open."

"Would you open the attachment?" Rick did as he was asked and stated so. "Ok, Rick. See how we got a pretty good look at the person standing next to the victim?"

"Yeah. She looks familiar."

Mark snorted. "Yeah, well I want to point out a couple of things. Can you zoom in on the neck?"

Rick did so and gasped. "_Is that an Adam's apple?_"

"Yeah. She's a he. Now look at the face closely. See anything you recognize?"

Rick focused on the face and was shocked. "Is that Derek's brother dressed as a woman?"

"It looks like it. I did some background checks on Tim Hough and found a few interesting things. Tim graduated three years behind us and joined the Army. He was court-martialed five years later for conduct unbecoming."

"Wow that's not good. Any idea what happened?"

"Yeah...he got drunk and hit on his commanding officer."

"Ouch! What did she do?"

"HE immediately reported it and Tim was let go shortly thereafter. He then moved to the city and worked in a bar in SoHo called Flights of Fancy."

Rick interrupted. "That was a gay bar that was shut down a few years ago for several counts of solicitation."

"Yes and Tim was arrested twice. Then his Dad had enough and told him never to come home; he also said that Derek would have been ashamed of him. That was about six months ago."

Ryan had been listening and started his own search. "It looks like Tim Hough couldn't find another job and then somehow got enough money to get some work done to start the process to change his sex. He had some implants put in and started some Estrogen therapy in advance of more surgery."

Kate looked at Rick. "Did you know Tim?"

Rick shook his head. "Only as Derek's little brother. We did not hang out with him; I do remember how Derek said he acted a little 'off', but he never showed it to us. He did refuse to go to Derek's funeral; we couldn't attend because they said it was for family only. There was one thing, but at the time we put it off as just being so young. He got angry when the others in our group would call me Derek. He said Derek was dead and we should leave him buried." Rick thanked Mark who ended the call.

Kate looked at Rick. "I think we need to talk to Tim's dad."

Rick sighed. "That makes sense. We'll need to get the Captain's okay though. The Houghs were local to Sedgewyck and the school was in New Hampshire."

Kate nodded and went to the Captain's office while Rick typed up a search to verify the Hough's address. He sighed as he thought about visiting his Alma Mater. He had no idea what to expect, but he hoped a warm welcome was in the future.

TCOP3

Rick was deep in thought as he drove North on I-91. Kate was dozing as they passed an exit for Amherst. Montgomery had approved the trip and Rick's SUV was more comfortable than Kate's Crown Vic so he got to drive. It helped that he knew the way since he had driven it before.

He smiled as he watched the miles roll by. Some of the best times in his life had happened at Sedgewyck. He had made some great friends and learned a lot about writing from the instructors there. His love for knowledge had been incubated within the halls of the school. He had been nervous to be at the school when he entered but he remembered fondly how he wished he had more time when he graduated.

He had last visited several years ago for an alumni fundraiser and he and the gang had made a point to visit Derek's grave. He had not taken the trip seriously as he was still high on his fame; he needed to make amends for that, especially to his friends that lived near the school.

He pulled over at a rest area to stretch his legs and grinned as Kate woke up, stretching like a cat. She smiled at him. "Where are we?"

"We are just inside New Hampshire. We should be there in less than an hour." They took their time making use of the facilities and walked for a few minutes hand in hand, enjoying the crispness of the morning and the freshness of the air.

They got underway and drove for about thirty minutes before taking an exit towards Port Hamilton. Kate admired the countryside and saw that there was a sign saying twenty miles to Sedgewyck. "Rick?"

"Yes?"

"How long has it been since you've been back?"

"I came back about seven years ago for an Alumni fundraiser."

Kate looked over at him. "Going to show me around while I am here?"

Rick grinned. "Of course. If you're good, I'll take you where I took Alice Maiseley when I was in eleventh grade."

Kate snorted. "Oh...now I can't wait." She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed. She resumed looking out the window and saw that they were entering Port Hamilton, Population: 4500. The town was small and very Americana. They drove up Main Street and made a left at the only stoplight in town. Rick drove through the open gates of Sedgewyck and pulled into a parking lot at the Welcome Center.

As he and Kate got out, he noticed a police cruiser pull up with its lights flashing. A woman got out with gun drawn. "Richard Castle, put your hands in the air!"

Rick put his hands up but was confused. Kate shook her head. "The prodigal son returns, I take it?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rick glanced over at Kate and shrugged before looking back at the officer. He rolled his eyes when he figured out who it was. "Lexie?"

The woman re-holstered her gun and burst out laughing. "Oh, Ricky…If only you could have seen your face!"

Kate looked at Rick. "Do you want to introduce us?"

Rick took her hand and headed over towards the cruiser. "Damn, Lexie, that was mean!"

She smirked and noticed their joined hands. She pointedly looked at their hands and then her lip started quivering and hers eyes glistened. Kate looked concerned until Rick dropped her hand. He then walked over and slapped Lexie on the arm. "Give it up, woman!"

Kate looked shocked. "Rick?"

He stuck his tongue out at Lexie and turned around as she busted out laughing. "Kate, let me introduce you to the incorrigible Alexis Rogers, my daughter's namesake. Lexie, meet Kate Beckett, my fiancee."

Kate looked confused. "Are you two related?"

Lexie grinned. "No, but we do get that a lot." She stuck out her hand for Kate to shake. "Call me Lexie. Lily Rose was my sister."

Kate shook her hand. "Rick here hasn't mentioned you, but I only recently learned about Lily and the others from Sedgewyck."

Lexie looked at Rick with a raised eyebrow. "What…are you ashamed of us?"

Rick shook his head. "Nope; I know that it may sound weird, but it really hadn't come up until recently."

"What came up?"

"I had a visit from Joey and Tommy on a case we were working on."

"A case you were working on?"

He sighed. "Yeah."

"Aren't you a writer?"

Rick sighed and pulled out his credentials. "Remember those few years after college when I dropped off the map?"

She took the credentials and opened them. Her eyes widened. "FBI? Rick, what the hell?"

He took them back from Lexie and nodded. "Yeah, while I was in college I was recruited and then became a profiler. I resigned when Meredith and I split and started writing full-time. A few months back I was reactivated and now I am liaison to the NYPD and work with Kate."

"Well, damn. Do the rest of them know?"

"Yeah…Bobby helped me get in with the NYPD several years ago and Tommy and Joey found out about two months ago. The others knew except for you. So…" He shrugged. "Now you know."

She sighed. "Yeah, _now_ I know. So why are you back here? Is it because of the APB?"

He nodded and motioned towards Kate, who spoke up. "We are following up on a lead. We have an appointment with the headmistress; you can join us if you'd like." Lexie nodded and followed them inside the building.

TCOP3

Rick led the trio into the building, his feet traveling towards the office from memory. As they walked down the hall, Kate noted that the walls were covered in pictures of students captured at random moments. A group of several stood arm in arm and grinning, waving at the photographer. She looked at the caption below the picture and gasped. "_Rick Rodgers and pals hamming it up for the camera. Photo taken by Alexis Rogers, 1986_."

"I've always liked that one." Kate jumped at Lexie's whisper in her ear. "They were so carefree; that was a couple of days before Derek went missing." Kate looked closer at Rick's face. He was so young! She smiled and turned to follow him once again. Once they had solved this case she was planning on coming back here to learn more about her future husband.

They stepped into the outer office of the headmistress. Rick groaned when he saw the name. Kate looked at him and he pinched his nose. "Why did it have to be old lady Collins?"

"Why indeed Mr. Rodgers."

Rick cringed. "Hello Ms. Collins."

"Headmistress Collins, Mr. Rodgers. Come in." They followed her into the inner office and sat down. "Now, what is your purpose here, Mr. Rodgers?"

"It's Castle, not Rodgers, ma'am. And we are here due to a murder case in the city."

She raised an eyebrow. "A murder case, you say? Mr. Rodgers, I was under the impression that you wrote _fiction_."

Rick glared at her. "I do write, Ms. Collins. And I am quite successful at it. However, we are not here today to discuss what I do but rather to discuss the actions of a current or former student of yours." Kate's eyes widened...Rick was not making friends and they needed her cooperation.

The headmistress chuckled...then laughed loudly. "Finally! I knew you had a backbone, Mr. Castle!"

Rick looked at her confusedly. "What?"

"Oh come now, Mr. Castle. You have not been a student here for many years and the staff has followed your career with pride; we gave you the skills that you use and you honed them! Now, what can I do for you?"

Kate closed her eyes. These people were _strange_.

TCOP3

She stretched as she woke up, content that _he_ was close. She had been planning this for almost twenty years. She looked in the mirror as she went through her morning routine. Soon, she would be able to make the final change and be complete. Her one wish was that her brother would be here, but he was in the city. Oddly enough, she was happy with that. Her plan would not work if he were around; she knew that she didn't have the guts to go through with it if he were.

She grabbed her purse and made sure that she had everything she needed. With a final look around her she grabbed the backpack she still had from school and headed for her car and the traveling she had planned. Soon she would be able to settle down, once he was out of the way.

TCOP3

"So you see, we have reason to believe that the suspect is an alumni or family of someone associated with the school." Kate leaned back in her chair.

The headmistress sat back in her chair, thinking on what she had just been told. She looked at one of her favorite students (_though she would never admit that to him, obviously_). "Is there anything else, Mr. Castle?"

Rick looked up at her. "We have reason to believe that there may be some connection to Derek."

She could not help but wince. Derek Hough had been a larger than life student and he had been close to Rick Rodgers and his friends. "Why do you think that?"

"We have a photo capture of someone that has a strong resemblance to Tim Hough." He did not have to say how the resemblance was determined.

"Very well. What can I do to help?" They explained their plan and what they needed. "I have the information, I believe, but I need a legal reason for the information to be released to you."

Lexie nodded and picked up her phone. She dialed and began speaking to someone for a few minutes before hanging up. "You should be receiving an email from my office requesting that the information be given to me."

Once they had the information in hand, they thanked the woman and made their way back to their cars. Rick looked at Lexie and smiled. "Thanks, Lex. We appreciate your help in there."

She nodded. "I want to know what's going on. Do you mind if I join you?"

Kate looked at Rick. "No but remember we have a killer to catch."

"Understood. What's the plan?"

"Well, we go to the Hough's house and talk to the family. We'll go from there."

TCOP3

Lanie was reviewing the ballistics report when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Chica."

She smiled. "Hello to you , Javier."

She heard him chuckle. "I love the way you say my name. I was calling to see if you got the results yet."

"I was just reviewing them. There wasn't much. It looks like there was a match to a old murder in New Hampshire, but..."

"What? Did it say who the victim was?"

She looked at the form in front of her. "Yeah...the victim was a seventeen year old white male with ...wait a minute. Didn't Castle know a Derek Hough?"

"Derek was the boy that led the group he was in. Did you find anything else?"

She looked over the form again. "Nothing that I can see. Wait! It says here that the family had the body picked up by a private funeral home and that there was no autopsy. The funeral was private and the body was cremated."

"That seems off to me."

"It does. Can you get this information to Kate? The round was a .32 "

"On it. Bye, Chica."

TCOP3

"Beckett." Rick and Lexi chatted while Kate was on the phone. She looked at the phone for a moment and then thanked Esposito before hanging up.

Rick looked over at her. "Beckett?" She looked at her phone without answering. "Kate?" She looked up at him. "What is it?"

Kate looked up at him. "Lanie had the ballistics tested on the slugs. There was a match to a previous case out of state."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Out of state? Where?"

"New Hampshire."

Lexie looked at Kate. "Exactly where in New Hampshire was this?"

Kate looked at Rick before answering. "Here. The weapon was last used in the Derek Hough case."

TCOP3

The two cars pulled up into the driveway of the Hough home. The driveway was long and ran in front of a palatial home with an expansive lawn. The large white colonial had six massive columns that ran from ground to roof. A veranda type porch ran along the length of the second floor; it was more like a plantation house than what you would normally find in New England.

They got out and headed for the door. Rick rang the doorbell and stepped back.

The door opened and a young woman peered out. "Can I help you?"

Kate showed her badge. "Detective Beckett, NYPD. Is Mr. Hough available?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "He's busy...maybe if you came back later."

Rick stepped into view. "Hello, Nat."

The young woman's eyes widened. "Ricky?" She stepped out and gave him a hug. She looked at the others. "Are you all together?"

Lexie nodded. "Natalie, is your dad home?"

"Sure...come on in." They followed her into a large entry hall. "If you wait a minute, I'll get him. I'm sure he would love to see Ricky." She left them and went into another room.

Kate looked around, then at Rick. "Have you been here before?"

Rick nodded. "Once. I came by to pay my respects. This is the only room I've been in."

Lexie looked at Rick. "This is my first time inside. They're very private people." Kate nodded.

Natalie came back into the room. "If you'll follow me...Dad is out in the sun room." She turned and they all walked through the house. Down a long hallway and past some open doors showing a large dining room, a kitchen and a walk in pantry, they went through a door into a room that had several large plants and a sitting area. Sitting in a large chair was an older man with thinning white hair.

He looked up at them and saw Rick. "Ricky Castle! I've not seen you an quite awhile!"

"Hello, Mr. Hough. Sorry, but my life has gotten quite hectic. How have you been?"

The old man smiled and motioned for them to sit. "Natalie, honey, would you see if our guests need anything?"

Kate nodded. "We're fine, but thank you. Mr. Hough, my name is Kate Beckett. I'm a detective with the NYPD."

The old man looked away from Rick towards Kate. "Miss Beckett, it's a pleasure. I'm Daniel Hough."

Kate smiled. "Mr. Hough, Rick and I are here today to ask you some questions about Tim. Have you seen him lately?"

She noticed that his eyes narrowed before he answered. "I know no one named Tim."

Rick glanced over at Kate. "Sir, I know that there has been an estrangement, but we have to know if you have heard from him in the last few days. He is a person of interest in a murder investigation back in the city."

Daniel stood suddenly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling well. Natalie will show you out." With that he left the room through a doorway across from where they had entered.

Natalie looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. He gets that way whenever either of my brothers is mentioned. Let me show you back to the door."

The three exchanged glances before following her back the way they came. As they were leaving, Kate handed her a card. "If Tim does try to contact either of you, please let me know." Natalie took the card and closed the door behind them.

TCOP3

Rick and Kate followed Lexie back to the police station. They got out and went into her office. After closing the door, she sat heavily in her chair. "Well, that was different. It was about par for that family though..

Kate looked up at Lexie. "What do you mean?"

"The Hough family practically founded the town. They are old money. Back in the mid 19th century they had claims in gold mines in California and Alaska. They were worth over twelve million in 1935 and that has more than tripled since then. Since about 1950 when Daniel was little, they withdrew from the public eye. The only ones that I saw much were Derek and Natalie, Tim was taught by private tutors after Derek's death."

Rick closed his eyes. "When I met Derek he was more like a trust account kid; that seems out of character from what you just said."

Kate smiled softly. "Maybe he was rebelling...something like you, Rick."

Rick chuckled. "Yeah, maybe. Something is not adding up though. Lexie, do you have some paper I can use?" She nodded and handed Rick some loose copy paper. He grabbed a pen and started making plotting a murder board. "Okay let's review what we know. First, Henri was murdered in broad daylight near his work. We have a witness that says a blonde female was arguing with the victim shortly before he was killed. The female had a backpack that looks like a Sedgewyck one. The first responder sees a female standing by the body that fits the description of the first female. Our security footage shows the female and lets me verify it is a Sedgewyck backpack. With me so far?"

Kate and Lexie both nodded. Kate looks at Rick and narrows her eyes. "What are the odds that someone would be working with the police that can identify a backpack from a private school that is several hours away?"

Rick grinned. "Exactly! The female KNEW that I would be involved. I think poor Henri was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We were supposed to come to Sedgewyck. The question is..._why_?"

**AN: Here's a chapter a little early due to the holiday here in the US. I hope you are enjoying the story! Thanks to the few of you that took time to review; it helps me home my skills. Things will et e bit more exciting in the next chapters and more layers of the onion will be peeled back.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I hope you are enjoying the story. The writing is going very well and I already have Chapters 5 & 6 out to LEM (my Beta) for review. We are going to soon see a few layers of the onion that maybe even Rick didn't realize he had. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

_"The question is...why?"_

Kate looked at him. "We know that Tim Hough was discharged from the Army due to his hitting on a male superior officer, so we can safely assume he is gay. He ended up working at a gay bar in the city where he was arrested a couple of times for solicitation. The picture we have of the female shows an Adam's apple, indicating that most likely the person is a transsexual."

Rick looked up at her. "Daniel Hough won't talk about his son and we have matched .32 caliber bullets from Derek's case and Henri's case. The only common denominator appears to be..."

Kate and Rick grinned as they completed the sentence at the same time. "_...the weapon!_"

Lexie looked at the two of them. "That was creepy." They all laughed.

Rick looked at Lexie. "Can you see if any of the Houghs have registered a handgun?"

She looked up at him. "I can tell you that they have quite a few. Daniel is a collector."

Kate nodded. "Can you see if he has any registered .32 caliber pistols?" Lexie nodded and left to check the files.

Rick leaned over and put a hand on Kate's. "Something is bothering me about all this. And I have a feeling it has to do with what happened to Derek." He sat there for a moment and pulled out his phone. He hit a quick dial button. "Jordan? Are you in the office? Good. Can you do me a favor and find anything you can on the following people? Derek Hough, that's H-O-U-G-H; Also Daniel, Tim and Natalie Hough. Thanks. I'll call you back later." He hung up the phone. "Looks like we may have to stay in town tonight."

Kate looked at him. "I better call Montgomery."

TCOP3

They pulled up at the hotel Rick had reserved. The Lone Tree Inn was an older inn housed in a two story Colonial building with several small cottages on property. Kate smiled as she and Rick entered the lobby. He led her to the front desk, holding her hand. The front clerk looked up and smiled as Rick took out his wallet. "We have a reservation under the name of Rodgers."

The clerk picked up a folder and opened it. "Ah yes, Mr. Rodgers. We have you and Mrs. Rodgers upstairs in Room 201. I'll just need your signature." Rick signed and grinned when he felt Kate poke him when she heard 'Mrs. Rodgers'. "Excellent! Dinner will be served until 8 PM in the dining room. We hope you enjoy your stay." He handed Rick the folder and the keys.

Rick smiled at him. "Thank you." They turned and headed for the steps to go upstairs. Kate reached back for the key.

When he handed it to her he chuckled. "Here you go, Mrs. Rodgers."

"We'll talk shortly, Mr. Rodgers." Rick smirked.

After they entered the room she turned on him. "It's a good thing we're engaged or this could have been painful."

Rick grinned. "_Yes, dear._"

Kate burst out laughing. "Doofus! Let's get cleaned up and get some dinner. You'll have to perform your husbandly duties later."

TCOP3

Natalie met the female in the Hough's pool house. "Ricky is here with some detective from the city. They cornered Dad earlier and you know that they will be back. You need to leave before they find you."

"You know I can't do that, sis. Ever since the funeral I knew something had to be done. And since I realized that I was a woman trapped in a man's body, I have come to grips that they need to know the truth. What happened that night will haunt us forever until we tell someone."

Natalie reached over and tucked an unruly strand of hair behind the other female's ear. "We'll be ruined; you know that."

"I do know that the family's reputation will take a hit. But the truth will free us from the shame that we have carried by not letting the police know what happened the night after the disappearance. Nat, you know that Dad will never forgive me and our brother...well he is not in a place where we can get his forgiveness either. I'm tired of pretending." Tears began to fall. "I'm sick of hiding who I am and I can't be silent about what happened much longer."

"I know...we'll need to be careful around the others though. There's too much for them to lose and you know how they react when they are cornered." At the other's nod, she hugged her 'sister'. "Now...go. Get some sleep and we'll find Ricky tomorrow. He'll help us."

They both left the pool house via different doorways, headed to their respective beds to find some rest.

TCOP3

Kate woke to the ringing of a cell phone. "Beckett."

"Ms. Beckett? This is Natalie Hough. Is Ricky there?"

Kate answered positively before handing the now awake Rick the phone. "Hello?"

"Ricky, it's Nat. We need to talk."

"Okay, Nat. Are you OK?"

"I'm as good as can be. We need to meet somewhere. I have some information that could be helpful to you."

Rick glanced at the clock to see it was just before eight AM. "How about 9ish at the school?"

"Nine works...but can we meet somewhere else? The school is too public. How about the woods near where Derek went missing?"

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Then let's make it half past nine then."

"See you then." Click.

Kate raised an eyebrow, "What was that about?"

"I'm not sure." He handed her phone back to her and picked up his. "I think we may have a lead. Natalie wants to meet us in an hour and a half where Derek went missing."

"Isn't that a bit remote?"

"Yeah, but we won't be alone."

Kate looked inquisitively at him. "What do you mean?"

"I know a guy..."

TCOP3

After Rick made a few calls and they got dressed, they had a quick bite to eat and then checked out. They had just gotten into their car when Rick's phone rang. "Rodgers." Rick listened to the call and his smile grew. "That's great Shawn! Next time you're in town let me know. We'll get together and have some fun! Thanks, man."

"What was that all about?"

Rick grinned. "That, my dear Kate, is a friend of mine who is an RC hobbyist. You'll know more shortly." Rick pulled out and headed to meet with Natalie.

As they pulled up to the school grounds, Rick grinned as he passed a brown panel van. He glanced in his rear-view mirror and smirked as he watched the van pull out to follow. He pulled over, rolled down his window and let the van catch up. It slowed and pulled along side.

"Ricky!"

"Hey Shawn! You have everything?"

The man chuckled. "I've got the toys you wanted. Want to suit up now?"

Rick nodded and turned to Kate. "Come on, love. I want to show you something." Kate nodded and they both got out and followed Shawn to the rear of the van.

He opened the door and started handing a few things to Rick. "Here you go...button camera, wireless audio transmitter, earwigs...oh and tracking coin."

Kate's eyes widened. "What's all this?"

Rick grinned. "Just in case, Shawn is outfitting us with some things to capture what goes on. He will also be flying a drone copter with a camera above us to provide overwatch."

Kate shook her head as she started to put the items on. She would never admit to Rick that she felt safer with them. "Okay. ready?"

Rick nodded. "Okay, Shawn. We'll head over and you can follow. It's about a mile down this service road, so you stop short and we'll get this moving. Oh and here is some contact info just in case." Rick handed him a business card, which he tucked in his pocket.

They both checked their weapons and got back in the vehicle and drove off to get some answers.

TCOP3

They drove for a couple of miles and then Rick pulled off to the side of the road. There was a car pulled off just in front of them. Rick took a picture of the license plate and sent it to Esposito to find the owner's name. He looked at Kate and spoke to Shawn via the wireless microphone. "Shawn, buddy, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Ricky. Detective Beckett, can you hear me?"

Kate grinned. "I hear you, Shawn."

Rick looked at Kate and leaned over to give her a peck on the lips. "Okay. Let's go see what's up."

They both exited the vehicle and headed to where Rick remembered it was reported that Derek had been last seen entering the woods.

They followed the path cautiously. About twenty yards in, the path led to a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a body lying on the ground. Rick hurried over and went to check the body for a pulse when he felt a sting and everything went black.

Kate watched as Rick grabbed his neck and fell over just as she felt a sting and fell over, unconscious.

TCOP3

Ryan was sitting at his desk when the phone rang. He picked it up automatically. "Ryan."

"Detective Ryan, this is Shawn Judson. I'm a friend of Rick Castle...he gave me your number to call if something happened..."

Ryan stood up and waved Esposito over. "Shawn, I'm going to go into a conference room and put you on speaker." He placed the call on hold. "Javi, can you get the captain and meet me in the conference room?"

Ryan watched as Javi went to the captain's office before he went into the conference room. "Shawn, I've got you on speaker. I have a couple of people joining and then I'll get the story from you on what happened. Okay?"

"Okay, but hurry. I'm not sure what to do and we have to be quick."

Ryan was soon joined by the others. "Okay, Shawn…go ahead."

"Okay. Ricky called me earlier to request some things and had me meet him and Detective Beckett at Sedgewyck. We met and I gave him some tech…earwigs, button cameras…stuff like that. He was meeting with Natalie Hough and he said something didn't feel right about it, so he wanted some insurance. Well, they drove off and I followed as he asked and stopped about a half mile back from the meeting place.

"They stopped and we did a mike check. He said something about sending a license plate to someone."

Esposito interrupted. "Yeah, that was to me. The plate belongs to a Greg Killarney. Mr. Killarney works for Daniel Hough."

Shawn cleared his throat. "Well, that makes sense. The tech is still working, but Ricky and Kate are unconscious. I think they got hit with a tranquilizer dart of some sort. I watched as a couple of guys grabbed them and carried them to a van, then drove off. I have their location plotted on a GPS, but I think they are still out of it. I can hear people talking in the background, but no voices I recognize."

Roy leaned forward. "Shawn, this is Captain Montgomery. Is your equipment recording?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Do you have a number where we can reach you? We'll be en-route shortly and will need a way to find you."

"Sure…I can email it to Detective Ryan."

"Good. We'll be there soon. Keep monitoring."

"Yes sir."

Roy got up and left the room. Once in his office, he picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Mr. Mayor? This is Roy Montgomery. Rick Castle appears to be in trouble…"

TCOP3

Ryan shook his head as he looked out the front window of the chopper. He had never ridden this far on one before. He saw the airfield up ahead as the helicopter started to descend. There was an SUV parked next to the helipad.

When they landed and got out, they were met by the local sheriff.

Roy walked over and introduced himself. "Sheriff? I'm Captain Montgomery. We spoke on the phone."

"Captain, I'm Lexie Rogers. Let's get you guys out to meet Shawn and we'll get an update. Here are the keys to the SUV; follow me please." She handed him some keys and walked towards her car which had not been visible from the chopper.

He handed the keys to Esposito. "You two follow us." He walked over to Lexie. "Mind if I ride with you?"

"Not at all. Hop in." He nodded and got inside. She pulled away slowly, making sure that the others were following. "We're still trying to find out exactly how things went down. Shawn has some video to show us and is going to meet us back at the station before we head out to where we think they are being held."

"Sounds good; do we know why they were taken?"

"Not completely, but we have someone who just might waiting for us." Roy nodded and they rode the rest of the way in silence.

TCOP3

The four entered the station together and everyone turned to look at the strangers. Lexie rolled her eyes. "Where is Shawn?" One of the deputies motioned towards a door in the back. "Thanks, Carl. This way, guys."

They entered a room to find a young man sitting staring at a laptop. "Hi Lexie. I have it ready to view." They all introduced themselves before moving around to get a better view of the screen. "I have it queued to where they enter the clearing." They watched as Rick moved to the body while Kate covered him. They saw as he grabbed his neck and fell over. Then Kate's camera tilted as she was knocked over. They saw the men come over and drag Rick away before coming back to get Kate. One of the men laughed and rolled over the dummy that they had used to draw them in. They left it and put Kate in the back of a van next to Rick.

Roy looked over at Lexie. "So one of those men was identified?"

She nodded. "Killarney had parked his car behind the van and Ricky had sent it for ID. He was the taller man in the video."

Ryan looked over at the Captain. "So what's our next step, sir?"

"I think that would be talking to me." They all turned around to see Natalie Hough standing in the doorway.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: A little present for you all on this St. Nicholas day. An early chapter as I have completed the story ahead of schedule. I really hope you all are enjoying this little story as I have enjoyed writing it!**

Chapter 5

_"I think that would be talking to me." They all turned around to see Natalie Hough standing in the doorway._

TCOP3

They sat around a conference table waiting on Natalie to begin as she looked at her hands. "You have to know the whole story for it to make sense. My father's family came to the area in the late 18th century from Europe. Farmers by trade, we bought thousands of acres and raised crops as well as livestock. By the early 19th century we had become wealthy and were known for our philanthropy. In the 1850's we gave the land to the group that started Sedgewyck.

"The family grew in notoriety and when my father was born in 1940 he had his choice of careers. He attended Dartmouth where he met my mother. They were married in 1965 and my oldest brother was born in early 1966. Derek was born in January 1967, Tim in April 1970 and me in February was killed in a boating accident in 1980 and that devastated my mother. She swore that nothing would cause her to lose a child.

"After Jon's death she doted on Derek. He was thirteen when Jon died and attending Sedgewyck. He met Ricky Rodgers when he came to school in August 1983 and they became fast friends, along with the others. In November 1984 Derek went missing. They found the body a week later and the funeral was family only and closed casket."

Roy looked at the young lady. "Excuse me for saying this, but you don't look like someone who has just relived a traumatic event."

"That's because I spoke to Derek this morning."

TCOP3

Rick opened his eyes slowly. He was in the dark with his hands tied behind his back. He tried to sit up but couldn't get the momentum.

"Rick?"

"Kate? Thank God! Are you okay?"

"I've been worse. How about you?"

He chuckled. "I'm okay, I guess. How long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes. Any idea where we are?"

"No. I'm sorry about this, Katie love."

"Hey! None of that, now. Any thoughts on how to get out of here?"

He tried to move his hands. "Do you know what they have us tied up with?"

She rolled to move closer. "It feels like duct tape, maybe."

He grinned. "You know, I once had Derrick Storm tied up with duct tape." Her throaty chuckle was music to him. "Duct tape does not like heat, you know?"

"Okay, mastermind...where will we get enough heat to cause an issue?"

Rick could move his hands enough to tell he still had items in his back pocket; they even left his sports coat on! "That may not be necessary. In my left back pocket I have a small pen knife. Can you try to reach it?" He heard Kate move around behind him and he felt a hand in his pocket, but before she could get it they heard footsteps approaching. "Play possum, Kate." They both went limp as the door opened.

The man peered in and noted that they were both still out. He glanced around and went back out. Rick chanced a quick glance out the door and saw a building across the street before the door closed again, plunging them back into darkness. He waited for several minutes until he knew they were alone again. "Okay, Kate. Can you try again?"

She rolled back and pulled the knife from his pocket. "I've got it."

"Good. Now open it and try to cut the tape from my wrists."

She managed to open the blade. "I'm afraid to cut you."

"It's okay, love. A little nick is better than what they have in mind, I'm sure." He felt her fingers move along the tape. "Right there...cut it there." He felt the knife blade rest against his wrist for a moment and then a few moments later his wrists were free. He pulled the tape loose and then sat up. He took the knife from Kate and cut the tape at her wrists and feet before cutting his feet loose. "Either these guys are amateurs or stupid. Either way, it works for me."

Kate chuckled softly. "Me too." Rick leaned over and cut the tape from her feet.

Rick worked feeling back into his feet and slowly stood. He stretched and then held out a hand to help Kate up. He reached into his pocket and found his phone. He flipped to a flashlight app and turned it on.

They looked around at their surroundings. They were in a shed of some sort and the walls were old wood. The air smelled stale but they could also smell oil and gasoline. Rick grinned. "I know where we are. I saw the side of the bowling alley across the street when they opened the door. We are in an old abandoned gas station. Do you still have your phone?" She checked her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Do you have any service?" She nodded. "Okay, I have enough I think." He flipped through contacts and found Lexie. He texted her their location and status, but that they did not know who grabbed them or why. He also let her know they were no longer tied up and to come without sirens.

They settled back to wait for a response.

TCOP3

Lexie looked up. "What do you mean you spoke to Derek this morning?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "It means that we had breakfast together and were heading to meet with Ricky when we heard he had been kidnapped."

Roy sat back in his chair. "You mean that your brother faked his death?"

"No. I mean that he did not know until many years later that someone else had been killed and buried as him. When he disappeared he was sent to California by our mother so that the fact that he was homosexual wouldn't be found out."

Lexie's eyes widened. "Derek was gay?"

"Derek _IS_ gay...and his name is now Derrica."

Lexie was about to respond when her phone vibrated. She picked it up and read the text as a grin started. "Ricky is nothing if not lucky." She looked at Roy. "He and Kate are okay. They are being held at an old gas station a couple of miles away. Are you ready to go?"

He nodded. "What do we do about Ms. Hough?"

Lexie looked at her. "Nat, can you get your brother in here? I think we need to have a discussion to get at what happened and get this all cleared up."

Natalie nodded. "He'll be here when you get back."

Lexie looked at her appraisingly. "We'll talk then." She then turned and headed out the door. "Let's roll, people. We're going silent and without lights. You surround Petersen's garage at a distance and I will drive in to see what's going on. When I give the signal, come in loud."

They all left the station to go get the kidnappers.

TCOP3

Rick used the flashlight app to look around the shed. The floor was pretty bare but the workbench was littered with lots of junk. He found an old car battery and a car radio antenna among the items. He looked in a corner and found a battery charger and a set of jumper cables. Looking over at the door he laughed softly.

Kate looked at him. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we set up a present for our hosts. Can you find an outlet?"

She nodded and started moving things around on the workbench, uncovering her prize. "Here."

She watched Rick in fascination as he started putting things together He moved the battery charger near to the outlet and plugged it in. Turning it on, he verified that it worked. He turned it off and grabbed the jumper cables. "Kate, can you find something to put in the floor to look like us in the dark?"

"I'll try." She started gathering some rags and old tarps as he attached one lead of the jumper cables to the old metal doorknob and the other end to the charger. He used some of the left over duct tape to tape the car antenna to the other side of the jumper cable and then attached the other lead to the charger. He turned the charger on low and touched the end of the antenna to the doorknob and smiled when it sparked. He turned the charger off and found an old insulated pair of pliers.

He looked over and Kate had piled the rags into passable bodies. "Looks good. Now come over here and wait with me."

She came over and gave him a quick kiss. "For luck."

He grinned. "I am so glad you aren't my sister." She giggled and they settled in to wait. "It's _SO_ hot that you got that!" He held the antenna out in a relaxed position and turned the charger up to full.

TCOP3

Lexie watched as the others went into position before slowly driving down towards the gas station. She noticed Killarney leaning against a van and pulled over. Getting out, she leaned against the open door. "Is everything all right?"

He glanced over at her. "Yeah, Sheriff. I'm just waiting on someone in the bowling alley."

She nodded. "How's Mr. Hough doing?"

"Pretty good. He's preparing to go away for a few days."

"Oh, a vacation? That's probably good." She heard a noise across the street and saw the other man from the video coming towards her. "It looks like your friend is here. I'll let you get on your way."

"See you later, Sheriff." He grinned like the cat that ate the canary. "Come on, Jed. We have a delivery to make." He waved at the sheriff as she started her car.

She hit the lights and jumped back out. "Hands where I can see them Killarney!"

TCOP3

Rick and Kate heard the whole exchange between Lexie and Killarney. When they heard the car start they were confused until they heard Lexie shout. They heard someone scramble for the door and it was opened. When Rick saw the man start to enter he whipped the antenna like a fencing foil at the man's head. As it connected a zap was heard and the man screamed as he went down. Kate ran over and kicked his gun loose as the sirens got loud.

TCOP3

At Lexie's lights coming on, the several cars started coming in fast. Lexie watched as the other man flew to the door and opened it. She drew her weapon as she heard teh zap and then a thump. Killarney stood there in shock and just raised his hands as the cavalry arrived. Lexie came around as Kate and Rick emerged from the shed. "Are you two okay?"

Kate grinned. "We'll live. MacGyver here made sure of it."

Lexie raised an eyebrow as she slapped the cuffs on Killarney. "I can't wait to hear that story. Oh, and I have one helluva whopper for you too."

Rick cuffed the one he had knocked out before turning around. "Let me guess. Aliens?"

Lexie grinned. "Pretty close."

Kate looked between them and shook her head. "Before you two swap stories can we go somewhere so I can get some Ibuprofen?"

"Tell you what, Kate. For being tied up with Ricky there, I'll buy you something stronger because I think you both will need it."

TCOP3

The last few days had been a crazy ride, she thought to herself. When she had seen Ricky and that woman heading into the clearing, she knew something was going to be happening. After twenty minutes with no activity, she watched as a small car with two women inside approached and slowed down, only to speed up again when they reached the cars parked on the side of the road.

Waiting a few more minutes, she saw Killarney come out and get in his car and drive off. She approached and went to the clearing. Seeing the dummy, she knew she had to tell someone. She left to go to the police station but wanted to make a stop first to say goodbye.

Thirty minutes later she was standing at the desk telling the deputy what she saw when a group of people came into the office. She turned around and came face to face with Ricky Rodgers.

Rick came in and saw the female with her back to him. She was carrying a very familiar backpack. He approached her just as she turned around. "Hello, Tim."

"Hi, Ricky."

He saw someone coming out of the conference room and turned to see a taller female. "Hello, Ricky. Long time no see."

Rick focused on the face and the mannerisms before feeling his blood pressure spike. "Derek?" He then promptly fainted.

Kate rushed over to him as Lexie laughed. "I told you it was a whopper!"

Once she made sure he was okay she looked up at the female that Rick had called Derek. "Are you really Derek Hough?"

He nodded. "I am...umm I was. It's Derrica now...Derrica Wick."

She then looked up at Tim. "Tim Hough?"

He nodded as well. "I go by Tina now."

Rick started to stir. "Wow, I must have hit my head. I swear I saw Derek in drag..." He faded as he focused on Derek again. "What the hell, Derek?"

"It's a long story, Rick. Wow, you are better looking than I remembered."

Rick sat there dumbfounded. "Okay. Let's all go into the conference room and get the whole story."

Rick watched as the Hough siblings, Kate and Lexie went in. He turned to the others. "Guys, thanks. I cannot say it enough." Ryan looked at Esposito and Montgomery.

Roy spoke up. "You know, I never realized how boring it was before you came into my precinct." They all laughed and headed in to get to the bottom of things.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I can't believe that it has been six months since I wrote the first words of The Castle Onion, Peeled. I hope you are enjoying my warped imagination. Once again, I only own the characters you don't recognize from anywhere and the plot. There is one chapter to go and I hope that you have had a good time along the way. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

As they sat down, Rick looked to Derek. "As badly as I want to hear your story, we have an active homicide case." He turned to Tim. "Did you kill Henri Renard?"

"No."

"You were seen with him the morning he was murdered."

"He was dropping me off as he headed into work. We had spent the previous evening together."

Kate looked at Rick, knowing their usual methods would not work. "So what were you two doing in the alley then?"

"I was telling him that I was leaving my current boyfriend and that I would talk to him in a few days."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean _current_ boyfriend? Weren't you with Henri?"

Tina shook her head. "I met Henri a couple of months ago right after I had the final operation. He knew I was transgender and was okay with it; Max was mad that I went ahead with the surgery. Max Keller and I had been in a relationship for several months but I was never as excited about it as he was. I was going to tell Max that it was over that night."

Kate looked over at Kevin who was typing into a laptop. He clicked on a picture and turned the laptop screen around. "Is this Max?"

Once it was confirmed, Rick looked at Tina. "When you left was Henri still alive?"

"Yes. We had made plans to meet back at his car at 5:30. He kissed me and I left."

Kate looked at her notes. "What is Max's address?"

"He lives on Columbia Street. The building number is 72 and it's apartment 1107."

She nodded. "Thanks." She looked at her team. "Excuse us for a minute." Rick, Ryan, Esposito and Montgomery got up and followed her out of the room.

Roy looked at the others. "Kate, you and Rick should stay here. The rest of us will head back to the city and follow up on this Max."

Kate looked torn. "Are you sure, sir?"

He nodded. "You two help the sheriff get to the bottom of this. We'll compare notes later."

"Yes, sir." She and Rick followed the others back in where Roy made their goodbyes and they headed back to the chopper to return to the city.

TCOP3

After the room settled, Rick sighed and turned to his formerly dead friend. "So what happened?"

Derrica sighed. "I was 17 when I admitted to myself that I was not drawn to girls. I realized that when I admitted to myself that I had a crush on you, Rick."

Rick's eyes widened. "I suspected that something was up but you drew away."

"Yeah. Lily Rose was the one that called me out on it. I knew that my father would never approve of my preference; Mother would at least be approachable. So I went to her and admitted it. She sat for a bit and then she started talking. She devised a plan to have me withdraw from school here and move to California under an assumed name and go to school there.

"Mother said she would handle everything but needed a few days to get things moving. Later that week I got a note in the mail to wait one week before heading out to the clearing and that I would be met there by some people who would get me on a flight to Los Angeles. All went as planned and before I knew it I was on a plane headed west."

Rick looked down. "What about the body and the funeral?"

"I had no idea about it until a couple of years later. My new identity was Derek Wick and I attended Linneman Prep until I graduated. I had been under strict orders from Mother not to write so I knew nothing about what happened here. It was at that point that I felt drawn to be female and I started therapy with a specialist to make sure that I was serious about things. Over the next several years I started Estrogen treatments and had a few surgeries. I legally changed my name to Derrica and moved to San Jose. And yes, Ricky, I know the way to San Jose."

Rick and Kate both chuckled. "When did you find out about what happened?"

"A couple of years ago Mother passed away and Natalie found some papers she had from when I graduated from Linneman. There was a picture as well. She hired a PI to find me and flew out to meet me." He sighed. "A few months ago I finally decided I had to come clean and find justice for the person that they killed to substitute for me."

Kate looked at Natalie. "Did you find out what happened?"

Natalie nodded. "Mother decided that in order to save the family's reputation she needed a clean break. She came up with the idea to have Derek 'disappear' and later 'die'. She had Killarney handle it; I guess she was going for plausible deniability. Dad was never told nor were Timmy and I. If I hadn't found those papers we may never have found out.

She looked at Rick. "I called Timmy after you showed up and he came home."

Lexie sat for a minute. "I have Killarney in custody and your father is implicated in ordering Ricky and Kate's kidnapping. I have Ken headed over to pick your dad up."

They talked for a few more minutes before there was a knock at the door. Ken, the deputy stuck his head inside. "Sheriff, Dan Hough wasn't at the house and his car was missing."

"Damn!"

TCOP3

While Lexie sent Ken and a few others to look for Dan Hough, she and Kate went to interrogate Killarney. They walked into the room while Rick sat in the observation area.

He looked up and smirked as the two women sat down. "Mr. Hough should be sending a lawyer along shortly."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "That should be interesting."

Killarney sat back in his chair. "Who are you?"

"I'm Detective Beckett from the NYPD."

"You don't have any jurisdiction here, detective."

Lexie grinned. "I have enough for both of us. The detective here is assisting me in catching a murderer considering she's a homicide detective."

Killarney paled. "I don't know what you are talking about. We didn't kill anyone."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Are you a student of the law, Mr. Killarney?"

"No, but I know my rights!"

"I bet you do. Did you know that many crimes have what is called a Statute of Limitations on them? That means that some crimes can't be prosecuted after several years."

"Hah! Then you've got nothing besides me grabbing you!"

Kate turned and winked back at the mirror. Rick chuckled in the observation room.

"There is no Statute of Limitations on murder."

Killarney shut up and looked down. "What are you saying?"

Lexie looked at him. "You are our prime suspect in the murder of Derek Hough."

His eyes widened. "I didn't kill Derek! It was some homeless guy we grabbed from the city!"

Rick snorted. He knew the guy was not a professional but this was just stupidity.

Kate smiled. "Thanks for confessing, Mr. Killarney. You just saved us a lot of work." Killarney thumped his head on the table.

TCOP3

While they may never find the name of the homeless man, they had enough to put Killarney away for a very long time. After he found out that Daniel Hough had run, he sang like a bird. He described how they had searched for someone close to Derek's build and how they had kidnapped him, drugged him and then killed him. He admitted to helping bribe the local coroner (now deceased) and how the whole thing had been kept from Daniel Hough at his wife's direction.

Killarney was then charged with three counts of kidnapping and one count of murder among several other charges. Because of their assistance, Natalie, Tina and Derrica were to be given community service as they had not come forward immediately upon discovering the whole thing.

Kate sat and watched Rick as he took everything in. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. I will be, I know. But to find out that someone you looked up to faked his own disappearance and that his family was so twisted to kill someone and make it look like he had dies...I became an FBI agent to honor him! My whole interest in mystery and death started when he was supposedly found dead. And now I find out it was all a lie! Why didn't I see this before now?"

Kate took Rick's hands in hers. "Listen to me, Rick. When all this happened you were a teenager and were not trained to observe like you are now. How could you have known? This is the first time you've been back and focused on things. You are a good man, Rick…and a great investigator. You are a great father and a fantastic partner and husband-to-be. You helped solve a cold case and a cover-up. Don't ever doubt your skills or your heart."

Rick looked into her eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve you, Katherine Beckett?"

"You gave me hope when I thought my world was over, Richard Castle. And now, you've given me love and your heart." She pulled him into a hug and he kissed her hair.

TCOP3

Lexie looked up as they exited the conference room. "All finished?"

Kate smiled. "Yeah. Ryan called to let us know that they picked up Max and that they will have him ready for us to speak to in the morning."

Lexie looked at Rick. "Do you have time to eat dinner? It'll be my treat."

Rick looked at Kate who nodded. "Sure."

Lexie grinned. "Great. Let me make a call and we'll head out." They agreed and Rick went around thanking the deputies for their assistance. Lexie picked up the phone and dialed. "Lisa? Add a couple of plates to the table...I have someone I would like you to meet.

We'll be there in fifteen minutes." She hung up the phone and logged off of her PC.

TCOP3

Kate and Rick followed Lexie to a pretty little cottage on the south end of town. It had blue shutters and was painted white with a white picket fence. Rick and Kate got out of his SUV and walked over to her.

Rick grinned. "The white picket fence is a nice touch."

Lexie reached over and smacked his arm. "Hush, Ricky! This is my daughter's place."

"Your daughter? How old is she?"

"I adopted Lisa ten years ago when she was fourteen. She is a very bright girl with only one weakness." She knocked on the door and let herself in. " Lisa?"

"Coming, Mom." They saw a young woman walk in dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt with her dark hair in a ponytail. Her eyes widened as she saw Rick. "Richard Castle?"

Rick smiled. "That's me."

Lisa squealed and ran over. "Mr. Castle I am such a huge fan! I can't believe you're here!" She looked at Lexie. "Not funny Mom!" She then glanced and saw Kate. "Are you Detective Beckett?"

Kate nodded. "Hi, Lisa; Nice place you have here."

Lisa blushed. "Thanks. It was where Mom grew up and when Grandma passed away two years ago I inherited it."

Lexie grinned at the others. "Something smells good."

Lisa smiled. "It's your chicken and dumplings recipe. Oh, excuse my manners. Please, let's eat."

They followed her into a small kitchen and sat at a butcher block table surrounded by four chairs. They started to eat and before long stories began about the times that they had when they were at Sedgewyck. Kate learned more about Rick in the two hours that they were there than she could recount.

"And then Rick whipped out a pen and asked where she wanted him to sign!" They all laughed.

Kate winked at Rick. "So THAT'S where you got the idea, eh?"

"It was a spur of the moment thing; And while Miss Chavers was blushing and trying to figure out how to answer the others got away."

Lexie laughed. "Lily told me that story a few times. She said that the teacher looked like she was considering unbuttoning her blouse."

Kate snorted. "Only you, Rick, would turn an offhand comment into a chance to write on some woman's breasts."

Lisa laughed. "I would have loved to have seen it!"

Rick shook his head. "I got detention with Mr. Long for a week and had to write I will not disrespect women hundreds of times."

Lisa smiled. "Mr. Castle..." At his raised eyebrow she stopped and grinned. "Rick...would you sign a couple of books for me?"

Rick smiled warmly at her. "It would be my pleasure, Lisa. Your mother and aunt were very special to me. I know Lily would be very proud of you."

Lisa managed to get several of her books signed by both Rick and Kate before they left. As they said their goodbyes they exchanged phone numbers and made plans for a get together in a few weeks.

TCOP3

As Rick drove back towards the city, Kate reflected back on the past few days. Several more layers of Rick's life had been peeled back and she knew more than she had ever imagined about Ricky Rodgers and his time at boarding school.

Rick looked over at her as she looked like she was far away. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

Kate smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Rick rolled his eyes. "That's why I asked."

Kate giggled. "I was just processing all the stories I have heard about you this week. I really think Ms. Collins liked you."

"Old lady Collins doesn't like anyone."

"Rick! She liked at least one person. She was wearing a wedding ring."

Rick looked down for a second. "Yeah. Her husband was killed in Vietnam. I guess we never thought about that."

"See? You should send her a card or something."

Rick sat quietly for a few minutes thinking as he drove. "Yeah." He looked over at her. "Sorry. I'm still trying to get it through my head that Derek is alive."

He looked over to see her shaking. "Are you all right?"

She snorted. "I'm still trying to process that he had a thing for you, Ricky."

He rolled his eyes and sat back, trying to ignore her occasional giggle as they made their way home.

TCOP3


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So, here we are...the final chapter of TCOP3 The Prodigal. I hope you all have enjoyed this little ride through my take on Richard Castle's backstory. One month ago I posted the first chapter and Six months ago I began writing The Castle Onion, Peeled as an exercise to see if I could still write a story. I've enjoyed our time together and this AU that I've created, but I'm stepping back from it for awhile (there may be further TCOP stories) and I will be working on one of my other story ideas. For those few that reviewed I thank you...it is nice to know that your work is appreciated. And now, without further ado, the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

_The previous day_

Ryan looked at his partner. "I have the address that we got for Max Keller."

Esposito nodded. "Let's grab a couple of uniforms and pick him up." They grabbed their jackets and headed towards the elevator. "Hey, bro...Can you imagine what Castle is going through? One of his best friends' deaths was faked. He's gotta be messed up about it."

"Yeah, I can't imagine." They got in the elevator and rode quietly down to the ground floor and out to their car, each lost in thought about the situation surrounding this distinctly 'Beckett-flavored' case.

TCOP3

They pulled up in front of the building along with two uniformed officers. They went up to the 11th floor and made their way to Apartment 1107. Ryan checked that everyone was ready and after confirmation knocked on the door. It was opened and a man with dark hair looked out. "Max Keller?'

"Yeah."

"Sir, I'm Detective Ryan and this is Detective Esposito of the NYPD. We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"What is this about?"

"Sir, do you really want us to talk to you right here in the hallway where your neighbors can hear?"

He nervously glanced around. "Probably not."

"Then can you please come with us?"

"I suppose." He grabbed his keys, locked his door and followed the detectives to the elevator.

TCOP3

_Present day_

Rick had suffered a couple of nightmares and had not gotten much sleep. As they lay in the bed, Kate looked over at him in concern. "Do you want to stay home today?"

Rick groaned. "As much as I would love to, I want to get to the bottom of this as bad as you."

She grinned. "Okay, Writer Man, you start the shower and I'll start the coffee."

He rolled over and hugged her. "Yes, dear."

She rolled her eyes and smacked his arm. "Be good or you will be showering alone..."

"You are a cruel woman." He looked up and winced when he saw her glare. "But I love you soooo much!" She snorted and waved as she threw on a robe and headed for the kitchen. Rick smiled and headed towards the bathroom to start his day and get the shower ready.

TCOP3

They came off the elevator into the bullpen laughing as Rick related a story about a prank he had pulled when he was in school. Karpowski looked over at them and shook her head. "Good morning, hyenas."

Rick looked up and then it registered what she said. "Good morning!" Kate just smiled, waved and headed towards her desk. "How are you this lovely day?"

She shook her head and looked at Kate. "Can you do something with him?"

Kate grinned. "You brought it on yourself." Rick rolled his eyes and headed to his desk.

He checked his email and grinned. Picking up his cell phone, he hit a speed dial. "Jordan? Thanks for the info. Can you get Daniel Hough on the no-fly list? He's wanted as an accessory for kidnapping Kate and I. Thanks!" He hung up the phone and grinned at Kate. "That should put a damper on his plans."

Ryan walked over with a file. "Here's what we have on Keller. A couple of misdemeanors as a kid and an assault charge from two years ago that was dropped."

Rick looked up. "Who filed the assault charge?"

Kate flipped a couple pages before she found it; her eyes widened. "Daniel Hough."

Rick looked at her suddenly. "We definitely need to talk to this guy."

Ryan smirked. "Espo is bringing him into Room 1 now."

Kate nodded. "Thanks, Ryan. Are you ready partner?" At Rick's nod she stood up and grabbed Keller's file as well as some pictures of Henri's body taken by CSU and Lanie.

TCOP3

Max sat handcuffed to the table. He was sweating and felt clammy. He looked up as a beautiful woman walked in, followed be a large man.

Kate looked at him as she took her seat and waited for Rick. He closed the door and went to lean against the wall near the door. This put him off to the side of the table on Keller's left. She laughed to herself when she realized that he did this to make Keller squirm.

She opened his file and pulled out a pen and pad. "Do you know why you are here, Mr. Keller?"

He looked up at her. "Not really."

Rick snorted. "Come on, Max...can I call you Max? Max, you have to know why you are here. You are in the Homicide division. We don't bring you here for unpaid parking tickets."

"Somebody died?"

Kate glanced at Rick. "That's right, Mr. Keller. Somebody died. And the way they died was that they were murdered." Kate watched his eyes start to shift around. Bingo!

Rick slammed his hands against the table and Max jumped. "Now do you get why you are here, Max? You killed someone."

Max shook his head fervently. "I didn't kill anyone."

Kate smirked. "Mr. Keller, why are you so nervous if you didn't murder anyone?"

Rick leaned in close to Max and lowered his voice to near a whisper. "Because, Detective, Max is lying."

Max leaned away and Kate withdrew a picture of Henri's body from autopsy and slid it in front of him. The door opened and Montgomery came in looking furious. "You two…outside!" Kate and Rick went to the door after Kate picked up everything except for the photo. They left, slamming the door behind them and followed Montgomery into the observation room. The first thing they noticed was that there were a lot of people in the room. The next thing they noticed was Roy grinning.

Kate looked at Rick and he shrugged. "What the hell is going on?"

Roy chuckled. "That was the best portrayal I have ever seen!"

Rick looked at Kate. "What do you mean? He hasn't confessed yet!"

Roy motioned towards the room where it was obvious that Keller was sweating and trying to avoid looking at the photo. "You two keep that up. He is so off his game he doesn't know what to do. I just pulled you out to further confuse him. Now go back in there and get that confession!"

Rick and Kate both rolled their eyes and headed back to the room and this time Rick sat down and Kate stood against the wall.

Rick looked at Max. "Was it everything you dreamed it would be? Come on, Max, you know you planned this. You suspected something and followed Tina. You watched as she kissed the guy and you knew you had to do something. Sure, you were mad but you knew way before that day that the guy that was after what was yours had to pay. Am I right?"

Max Keller looked up with anger in his eyes. "That son of a bitch was taking what was mine! I love Tina and no foreign bastard is going to take her away from me!"

Rick nodded. "You sure taught him a lesson, eh?"

Max sneered. "I came up behind him while he was watching her as she walked away. I grabbed him and threw him to the ground and took the pistol that Tina had taken from her dad's house and shot him. I took his wallet and ID to make it look like a mugging."

Rick shook his head. "And how did Tina take it?"

Max shrugged. "She hasn't come home yet. She texted me something about her sister needed her and she was heading home for a few days."

Kate smirked. "Mr. Keller, who do you think gave us your name?" Rick gathered up the files and they left the room as Max Keller broke down in tears. Kate looked over at LT. "Please get his statement in writing and then take Mr., Keller to booking and have him charged with the murder of Henri Renard."

TCOP3

The team and Roy were sitting in the conference room sharing a pizza when Rick looked over at Roy. "Why were there so many people watching the interrogation?"

Roy grinned. "At one point or another in the past few years, every detective on this floor has watched you two tear apart a suspect's lies. And that was before they knew that you were FBI. Everyone wanted to see Rick Castle and Kate Beckett do an interrogation without anything being held back. And let me be the first to say, it was a thing of beauty!" They all laughed and took a drink.

Esposito looked over at Rick. "Yeah, Castle...I've seen you and Beckett work over hundreds of suspects over the years, but today...well, I can believe that you were one of the best profilers in the country."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "_Were_?"

Kate patted his hand. "It's okay, Ricky. Hey, did you guys know that Ricky here offered to sign his first pair of breasts when he was sixteen...and they were on a 30ish teacher." As the guys started ribbing him, Kate leaned back and grinned.

TCOP3

Daniel Hough had flown his Cessna to Boston. He stayed overnight under an assumed name at the Westin looking over the harbor. He knew that they would be looking for him to head to New York and he doubted they knew he had his own plane. He was waiting to buy a ticket to Miami and rent a yacht to go to Cuba where there was no extradition.

He grabbed his bag and took a taxi to the airport and headed into the terminal. He was no stranger to the security process as he flew frequently, so after he purchased his ticket he made his way towards the TSA checkpoint and had his pre-check pass ready. What he was not expecting was to be pulled aside as soon as he showed his ID and handcuffed. He was led to a holding room and waited for half an hour until a man in a black suit came in.

The man flashed some FBI credentials and looked at him. "Daniel Hough, I'm Agent Will Sorensen, FBI. I am here to escort you to our New York Field Office. You are being detained on suspicion of conspiracy to commit kidnapping of a Federal Agent."

"What the hell are you talking about? She was an NYPD detective and he was a writer!"

Sorensen shook his head. He hadn't been told the names of the Agent or his associate that got kidnapped. _Castle_! He schooled his features and replaced his FBI 'mask'. "Sir, Richard Castle is an FBI agent." He looked to the other agent and motioned toward Daniel. "Simmons, please escort our guest to the SUV. I'll check with TSA and make sure we are all good." After they left he shook his head and went to get things completed.

TCOP3

Jordan Shaw had barely hung up the phone after getting the report that they had Daniel Hough in custody from Will Sorensen before she busted out laughing. Since Sorensen had been transferred back to Boston she immediately thought of him when she got the call from TSA at Logan International Airport. She imagined that Rick would love the irony and that Kate would enjoy the whole thing. She sent an email to Rick to let him know that they had him in custody and that the FBI would handle his prosecution as it was a kidnapping case. After she sent the email she shut down her PC and got ready to head home.

TCOP3

Kate and Rick had just gotten home when he got the email. He chuckled and handed the phone to Kate so that she could read it. She snickered and handed it back to him.

They both changed clothes and snuggled down on the couch with pads and pens so that they could start their wedding plans in earnest. They had agreed on something not too large and definitely not flashy. They sat down and started making lists of people to attend while they sipped their wine.

Kate found herself reflecting back over the things she had learned about Rick lately. From being an FBI agent to his antics at Sedgewyck he was so much more than she had realized. Even with al the revelations she could not imagine anyone else at her side. She had not understood just how much he had gotten under her skin and how much she had let him inside her walls until lately. One thing for sure was that he could turn anything into an adventure. She smiled as she realized that now they would have their adventures together. She could only imagine what to expect from being married to Richard Castle, but she knew it would never be boring!

They had just settled in bed after a fun-filled shower when Kate's phone rang. Rick groaned as she picked up her phone. "Beckett. Okay, can you text the address to me? Thanks." She turned to Rick. "Guess what? We've got a body."

_Fin_

**AN2: Once again let me remind you that all you recognize is owned by their respective creators and licensees...anything you don't, well I just made it up!**


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